This invention relates to coaster wagons and to an element employed therein.
To date, coaster wagons have been constructed with a steering assembly mounted for rotational movement on a turntable fixed to the bottom side of the wagon body. The steering assembly extends forwardly from the wagon body, and a handle is pivotally connected to a forward portion of said assembly. The mounting of the steering assembly has been by way of positioning a circularly grooved portion of the uppermost surface of the steering assembly to accommodate a similarly grooved portion on a turntable mounted to the bottom of the wagon body. Openings in the assembly and in the turntable are thereby aligned, and the assembly and turntable are pivotally secured by a bolt inserted through the aligned openings allowing free rotational movement of the assembly about the vertical axis of the connecting bolt.
This assembly allows the wagon to be steered via the front wheels which are mounted for free rotational movement on the ends of an axle which extends crosswise from the steering assembly. Tonelli, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,222,582 provides a description of a wagon having such a steering mechanism.
The free rotational movement of the steering assembly has been a source of danger because the wagon will tip over if pressure is applied to the front end during a sharp turn. The pressure created by the weight of a child is often sufficient to cause tipping. Considerable thought has been given to redesign of the coaster wagon with a view to reducing the likelihood of injury due to tipping.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a simple and effective solution to the problems raised by coaster wagons of previous designs.
It is another object of this invention to reduce the likelihood of tipping caused by sharp turning of the steering assembly.
These and other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the remaining portions of the specification.